Monday, December 28, 2009

I've been kinda quiet.....although I am still cursing at Troy Jacobson and cycling indoors...preparing for my surgery on Jan 7th and working at staying healthy until then......

Something has gotten me real busy and that is.....that my friend Yun and I started a new blog that we turned into a web site and we have had many fun and funny moments doing so!

It is called The Two Whos and it has been very challenging to put the blog up!

Here is an entry to let you know about our challenges!

How The Two Whos Travelled Down the Slippery Slope that is SEO!

Once upon a time there were Two Whos. One was Mz technology PhD in physics and the other Mz educator artist. They are Yun and Cece. One day Yun emailed Cece and said "Cece! We need SEO" Cece emailed back, "What is SEO?" That should tell you how large is the great divide between their knowledge bases.

One day Yun said, "Cece...just open it up in power point" ...Cece said "What is power point?" Yun said "How do you function?" Cece said "I do not have to!"

Cece keeps thinking that she needs a HE WHO or a SHE WHO Geek that will help us. Yun thinks this is a challenge and Cece thinks it is hell!

One night, Cece had a dream. She was dreaming she was writing HTML code. She woke up at 3:30am and started to research on the Internet.... but the problem is that she did not understand all that code language so she sent it all to Yun.

Yun woke up the next day and was bombarded by SEO optimization instructions. She read it all and tried to digest it...and downloaded many plug ins...but then said ,"Cece! Now we have all this complex stuff, but how do we work it?

What is a "tag Cloud" a " post tag" a "slug?" What does a slug have to do with computer? It's a whole new language! In Chinese we call it this: ...if you talk to me in something I do not understand , we say they speak to us like a cow playing the guitar!...We can see the cow playing the guitar... and we laugh as we think of the Geek wondering "Who are you guys?"

In China we have another way to say we do not understand. We say it is like a sky book. It means we are clueless. We are laughing so hard. We need a HE Who Geek...or a SHE Who Geek! HELP! We are having SEO nightmares!

Now what are we going to call this post on SEO language...women building business, women's emotional strength....clueless...we'll figure this out eventually!

As Cece was leaving Yun's house, the physicist said "You know Cece, it will just be the two of us, We will probably not find a He Who or a She Who. Maybe our business will be to develop the code for the SEO! By the time we are both done researching, we will be experts!" The artist sarcastically said, "OH! How much fun!"

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Stephanie Tiger and friends, Char, Mary and Rob went to race in the Muddy Buddy Arizona! After I saw these pics, I greeted Stephanie with a "Welcome Back Oh Fierce Warrior Woman!" Her team took 5th place! Stephanie will be a guest bloggerfor us and give us a race report.TheMuddy Buddyis a mud-liscious race. Here is the description! Each race features a 6-7 mile course and 5 obstacles. At the start of the race, one team member will run and one will ride the bike. At the 1st obstacle, the rider will drop the bike, complete the obstacle, and begin running. The runner will arrive, complete the obstacle, find their bike, and begin riding. Teams will continue leapfrogging each other through the entire course. At the end of the race, racers will crawl through the infamous Mud Pit crossing. See Below:

Hey there Internet! My name is Stephanie and Cece has asked me to do a guest blog post. I recently participated in my first Muddy Buddy event in Phoenix, AZ. If you are not familiar with the Muddy Buddy event, this event is an obstacle course race that you run and bike for 6 or 7 miles and it benefits the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). You do this event with a buddy. One person starts on the bike, the other starts with the run. You both take off and get to the first obstacle. The biker drops the bike, does the obstacle, then takes off running. The runner comes in to the obstacle, does the obstacle, finds the bike then takes off to the next obstacle. You leap frog this entire course then finish together going through a mud pit, hence, Muddy Buddy.

As mentioned, I participated in the event on December 13th in Phoenix, AZ. It.Was.COLD! Not as cold as Albuquerque but cold for Arizona! My buddies (Rob, Charlotte and Mary) and I arrived at the event, got our race packets and waited for our wave to take off. We decided I would take off on the bike first and he would run. There were 7 waves

and we were in the 5th wave. Bikes were taking off first then the runners would take off 2 minutes after the bikes. Each wave was separated by 6 minutes. Oh yeah, did I mention that there was close to 1000 participants! So, we finally get to our wave. The butterflies have made their presence known! 5…4…3…2…1 “Boom” and we are off!

The first leg was 1.5 miles and it was tough! All up hill! The first portion was on pavement then we turned onto singletrack trails. The trails were phenomenal and boy is 1.5 miles a lot longer than I remember! I thought I would never get to the first obstacle. Finally, I make it to the first obstacle. Crawling under nets on your hands and knees. This event is so well organized that they actually have 2 of the same obstacles. One course for the bikers and one course for the runners. This way we didn’t crash into one another. Splendid! My buddy and I decided that we would drop the bike at 11:00. He figured people would go to the left or the right and boy was he right! 11:00 was perfect! I found the bike every time! Even before the volunteers found it! Well, it also helped that I wrapped orange, electrical tape all over my bike frame ;) Anyway, under the nets, no problem!

Off running I go. That first run was tough! If you are familiar with mountain biking at all, you know what washout conditions are. Well, this portion was 80% washout, which means I may as well have been running on the beach! I was glad I wasn’t biking this portion ;) Sorry Rob, just keepin’ it real LOL! Second obstacle, what I was dreading the most…….THE WALL. You see, I have very strong legs but consider myself more like a Tyrannosaurus Rex in my upper body and I just dreaded do a wall. Well, the wall wasn’t that bad. There was no rope to climb but there were pegs like at a rock wall climbing facility. Still had to pull myself up and I did it! Then had to shimmy down ropes on the other side. Done! Found my bike that Rob had dropped off, and I was on my way. I had to climb a hill out of that obstacle and for those that know me, I LOVE HILLS! What a kick!

By this time, I am totally pumped! I pass Rob who is now running (Go Rob!) and get to the next obstacle. Balance beams. No problem! Drop the bike, run across beams and start running. This run for me was excellent! I am enjoying the course and the scenery so much! Everyone is so friendly and having a great time! Rob passes me (Go Rob!) and he is flying on that bike! I get to the last obstacle and it is a HUGE tower! I am terrible with heights but someone figured it was 30 feet high! Had to climb netting to get to the top and slide down the other side.WHAT A BLAST! OMG, I was a little kid again just flying down that slide! One of my other friends ended up getting burns on her arms coming down that slide and that made me realize that I think I actually held my arms up and went “WhooHoo” down the slide! LOL! Okay, off the slide, find the bike, get some water and I’m off again. This time, the hill got me. I bonked! Had to walk my bike up that hill.

I see the finish line and vendor tents and hear the crowd cheering! I drop the bike, find my buddy and we proceed into THE MUD PIT. Holy smokes, the mud was FREEZING! I was so cold I didn’t think I was going to make it out! My buddy helped me through the mud pit by being the Marine that he is and barking at me “Get on your belly and crawl!” “You can do it!” (Thanks Rob! I really did need that encouragement at that moment!)

We crossed the finish line in 1:03! My buddy Rob kept telling me that he thought we did really well with that time. Well my friends, he was right. We came away with a 5th place medal for our division! I can’t even tell you how surprised and happy I was! Our first time as buddies and coming away with a medal! My other buddies, Charlotte and Mary, did really well also and had a blast! We are all looking at next year already!

What an awesome experience! Awesome buddy! Awesome friends! This event is very well organized and if anyone is interested in doing it, by all means DO IT! I am already looking at next year.

I would like to thank my other cohorts in grime! Our dear friend Barney took all of us in his RV from ABQ to PHX. Thanks Barney (and Quigley)! Also my other friends Donna and Judi came along for moral support and ended up volunteering at the event. Thanks guys! You all made this a very special time!Next time, you’re going Cece! LOL ;)

Sunday, December 13, 2009

I am sure that many of you saw my "cookie expose" recently where I was going to implant a Navy Seal into my home to restrain me from making cookies. Well, believe it or not, I got a reply from that post saying that this new friend was trained by an expert in the "Secret Navy Seal Cookie Maneuver"..... so .....he thought he could qualify to restrain me both pre and post cookie making. LOL. I had a good laugh at that! He was very clever!

But none of us really suspected that my sissy was the one that needed the NAVY SEAL...because just 2 weeks before my birthday rolled around (it is today), I was told by my sissy, that a package was coming and it had cookies in it! She read my blog...but what good Italian girl would not want a cookie, she reasoned!

So, I waited and waited for this package to be delivered to my work place.....called my nutritionist frantically shouting "Cookies are Coming! Cookies are Coming!" and quickly developed a plan to deal with them once they arrived.

But they did not arrive. Day after day I waited....but no cookies. My birthday was approaching and still no cookies! I kept asking at my office if they had arrived, and I even saw a big suspicious box, but alas, it was not mine. On Thursday, I called the office again and low and behold, they had opened the suspicious box and it WAS mine...only now my name had morphed in LuciettaNavalle....a good Italian girl!..finally..... this was my box!

I opened it up and inside....I saw...my favorites......taralli's! A wonderful spicy pretzel like "cookie" that are addictive...everyone says they are and I have had the ultimate taralli eating addictive experience...I cannot stop eating them. They came from Little Italy.... a wonderful Italian deli on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx called Teitel Brothers.

So now I was faced with a dilemma. It was Thursday afternoon and almost 5pm. Would I take the taralli's home and eat them (2 bags) or would I eat a few and share the rest? I decided the latter as my emergency plan.

I started handing them out in my office. The social worker told me I looked like a priest. He was probably in a euphoric state created by eating too many taralli's! Joel said I was holding the taralli up and saying "Take....eat...." He was rolling on the floor telling me I was acting like a priest handing out communion! It was a religious experience giving away my taralli's!

Needless to say there was more in the box..huge olives , provolone cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, aborio rice, porcini mushrooms and more.

Well, I decided that I would invite a few friends over to share the wealth! I am making a wonderful Italian meal to enjoy with them. Abondanza!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Women Riding Well is opening the first indoor cycling studio in Albuquerque! It will be called Simpatico and will officially open on January 2, 2010. It will be located at 7103 4th Street NW. Google this address now and tighten up your cycling shoes and get ready to roll! This will be the official home of Women Riding Well. More information will follow!

I am looking forward to getting a race report from guest blogger, Stephanie Tiger. She and a few friends are at the Muddy Buddy race in Arizona. Here is the race description! Each race features a 6-7 mile course and 5 obstacles. At the start of the race, one team member will run and one will ride the bike. At the 1st obstacle, the rider will drop the bike, complete the obstacle, and begin running. The runner will arrive, complete the obstacle, find their bike, and begin riding. Teams will continue leapfrogging each other through the entire course. At the end of the race, racers will crawl through the infamous Mud Pit crossing the finish line together!I am hoping for some mud-luscious photos!My favorite Bike shop, High Desert , is having a spin class each Wednesday night. Get ready at 6pm for a start at 6:30 pm. They have space at the Paseo and Louisiana location for up to 30 people and they have not hit their max yet. If you have not been to their new location yet, you are in for a treat. Nice men....great stuff! What could be better?We are all still holding our breath to see how the throw down with Johan Bruyneel and the Fat Cyclist Community turns out! Will keep you posted!Cece

Sunday, December 6, 2009

If you have not seen the Pink Glove Dance yet please click on this link. I saw the making of this video on TV when Charlie Gibson made this hospital the "Person of the Week." The Providence St. Vincent's Medical Center in Oregon made the video to bring awareness to Breast Cancer. Each department in the hospital made a part of the video...from the custodians to the doctors to the office workers to the cooks.cece

Friday, December 4, 2009

I need to use this forum to have a talk with Joe "Buenos Dias" as they call our local weatherman. Here goes:

Joe! Where is the "Buenos Dias" (nice day ) in this weather? How can it possibly be 13.5 degrees in Albuquerque with no sign of a warm up during the day? When I arrived at my office I was reminded, by an athlete friend, that the wind chill made it only 4 degrees! What a greeting! Thanks Jeanne! URGH!

Joe! How am I supposed to get on a bike in this freezing temperature? You are a cyclist and a Triathlete! Can't you conjure up some warmer weather for us? Pleeeeease?

Why the rant?I woke up this am to frozen water pipes. It reminded me of when I lived in NY and I had to go into the basement with my hair dryer each morning to unfreeze the water pipes so I could take a shower .

Why the rant?

I guess I am going to become real good friends with Troy Jacobson,....although why I purchased "Have Mercy: the Sequel" I have no idea except that perhaps a fit of insanity struck me when I went to Spinervals online.

Why the rant?

OK. So. Here is the source of my complaining. I promised a friend at work that I would show her where the Bosque Trail entry is near our office. It is a short drive down Mountain...and voila! There we are! She is a roller blader. I will be on foot today as moral support for a friend who is nervous at being on the trail by herself... I will use my deadly but wonderful martial arts skills in case an attacker approaches! LOL! I wonder what Nanook of the North looked like? I could carry a spear and think of it as an Okinawan bo....so that I stick with the martial arts focus! I am sure I will look like Nanook today during our walk. I will take pics! On the other hand, I think I will skip the pics! LOL

I am bringing all kinds of clothing...even socks...which I hate to wear and only wear when I am either on a bike or at the gym! I think this calls for the inaugural wearing of my new Fat Cyclist socks. Fight like Susan socks...this is appropriate!

Well, needless to say , my friend Melissa was not prepared for our walk. She thought it was too cold. I told her to "Bundle up girl...we're going!"...except she had nothing to bundle up in. So, I gave up my socks and gloves and hat and headband and, and......off we went.

We work at a stressful job...and ultimately.....and yes I said ultimately....exercise takes the edge off the stress!

After all this, I hate to admit it...but it was a beautiful and pleasant day...VERY cold with no wind...Maybe Joe did put his 2 cents in after all "Buenos Dias!" AND I walked fast enough that I stayed warm...imagine that!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Advertising! This is what I am up against .....as I havevisions of sugar plums dancing in my head!The photo below says,"I don't think there is anything like receiving a big box of homemade cookies for the holidays!" This is why I have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head!

I finally understand what this phrase means! It has to do with my lusting over homemade Christmas Cookies! It all happens between my ears, and in my mind's eye as I lust after those perfect buttery cookies.....and soon enough I start baking! I start gathering ingredients.... and compiling the butter and sugars and special toppings...........ohhhhhhh..... this is devilish territory!

AND these dancing sugar plums may have to do with my plan for this upcoming holiday season!

I plan to hire a NAVY SEAL who can pull tactical maneuvers on me in order to restrain me from baking cookie upon Christmas cookie this year. I figure if he can just move in with me....then he can be constantly vigilant for me...so that I do not make AND EAT cookie upon Christmas cookie! This sounds like the making of a hot romance novel! I better patent my story line!It all started long ago when my mom would bake literally hundreds of cookies that we would give away as gifts to our family and friends. As kids we loved to help my mom bake these cookies and assemble the tins with the cookie papers that separated each type of cookie. AND we made layers of cookies that we took pride in presenting. AND ....lest you think they were just pretty....they were also delicious and were a sign that our favorite holiday was upon us! Cookies are love!

My sister and I became expert cookie makers. We have all my mom's recipesand all of our favorite family recipes which we get much praise for making and distributing.

So what is the problem you ask? I will speak for myself and not my sissy. The problem is....I EAT THE COOKIES! I eat the raw batter and I eat the cookies. I eat the toppings that go on the cookies. I have to taste them to see if they are good right? I have to make sure they are presentable, right?

Well, this year NOT RIGHT! I am going to hire and move in that NAVY SEAL over the holidays....probably within the next few days...then I will move him out about January 10, 2010 after all the parties are over.....

In the mean time, hecan help me make pies.Pies are good. I am a great pie maker...especially with a helper.... and we can make a few pies and bring them to the parties!

You cannot sample a pie before it is delivered...and he and I can have a piece of pie and still keep our physiques in great shape!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

See Team Clydesdale blog link at right for newest post. I actually put it on the wrong blog and now cannot figure out how to put it here...without re-writing...alas!..anyway this is another part of me that you might like to see. Yes! I am an Athena woman and will always be one....even with all my weight off I will always be a big girl! That is just how it is!Cece

Sunday, November 15, 2009

It was not a pretty sight! And this is AFTER I got off the bike! I confess that I cursed at Troy Jacobson today! The first time I cursed at him was at minute 28 as I contemplated getting off my bike...while being haunted by my own motivational phrase (she spit) "Do or Do Not...there is not Try!" Why did you even get on your bike then, if you were not going to see this through? It was ugly. The video is 90 minutes. I was suffering so and Troy was sooo happy as he shouted "PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!" I was dripping so much sweat I was blinded and when I opened one eye, I saw the beads of sweat pooling up on the surface of my kinesio tape...and finally it pulled right off my shoulder! It was ugly!

Early on he said "If you forget where you are....." he should have said "When you go into a coma...." I cursed again....and again...and again.

Then the final straw. After dueling with Troy to the end of the DVD...a voice comes on and says "And I hope that you have a new appreciation of your ability to endure discomfort." yeah right...tell me that.

Hours later as I showered and got ready for an evening out...I remembered those words as I attempted to put deodorant on my forearm rather than my underarm...and I realized I was still in a Spinervals induced coma!

If you would like to share in my suffering...see the link at the side!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

......who soon became a blue blurr..... in her blue windbreaker, blue helmet and matching blue Trek. You may remember how well I handled myself when I was passed by Santa when I was going uphill in the Jingle Bell Triathlon last year. There are some things that leave lasting scars! NEVER MIND that today my riding goal was to ride for speed........those of you who know me know that when a skinny size 8 passes me they have no idea that they have just thrown down the gauntlet. They become the rabbit and me the greyhound on the track....who just might be thinking of having them for dinner.....no I am not competitive! My mom always said that!NEVER MIND that it is unlikely I will ever catch that blue blurr.......it is the TRYING that counts! And try I did as she took off down into the speed zone that is the straight and flat (mostly) path of the bosque that runs along our Rio Grande river!

I told myself to amp it up and that I did and came within 2 bike lengths of her. There were several times I could have passed her as I just coasted along her...but I thought,.,,,why pass her now when she will just pass me going uphill later and that will really piss me off! Soon, she stopped and spoke to a woman runner...but soon enough I heard "on your left" and she passed me again. I tried and tried to keep up and there was quite a head wind...I watched her hunker down and thought "if only I can get right on her wheel instead of 2 lengths behind I can draft off her...but alas I could not. We rode on and on until finally we came to an unexpected detour on the path. It was strategically placed at a bridge where we could make an easy turn around. She made it very gracefully, but as I pulled to turn another rider jolted across the bridge, which made me quickly clip out and stop my bike so I would not hit him. After he passed, I made my turn and took off after the rabbit which by now was almost a blue speck on the horizon! Soon enough, I caught sight of the blue and noticed it had stopped again to speak to the runner! AH ha! This was my chance! I whizzed past the man who ruined my graceful turn and my opportunity to catch up....and threw my big chain ring into operation. All I could think about was "will she catch me again? Will that light blue wind breaker catch me or will I make it back and be victorious? My phone rang...it was work. I had to take the call. Then I saw some beautiful photo ops...and had to take a few pics...all the while looking out for that whiz of blue to pass me....but it did not happen.

I got safely back to the open space parking lot and saw her car. I took a picture thinking "I need a memory of this day." Well what do you know? She owns a kennel and specializes in problem dogs! She sure handled this greyhound real well today!

In a minute, I looked and there she was in her light blue wind jacket. We greeted each other and said what a beautiful day it was. I thanked her for being the rabbit for me and I the greyhound chasing the rabbit around the track! She laughed! I asked her if I could take her pic and gave her my blog address. Her name is Deena and she lives in Los Lunas. I invited her to join Women Riding Well and gave her the web address and made a new friend! I hope we get to be friends and get to know each other!cece

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Well, I woke up this am and was surprised by shoulder pain. I have been keeping the mileage down and so the pain is down too...but not this am! I popped 3 aleve (which I call a therapeutic dose) and voila! The pain disappeared. I think Aleve should sponsor my new cycling career! I would wear the jersey very proudly! Women Riding Well took off about noon today on THE most beautiful day I have been on a bike in a very long time! It was warm and there was a very slight breeze and we planned to ride an out an back that I was familiar with...but I thought the miles were about 30 but they ended up at just under 42! However, that aleve did the trick and I had a wonderful pain free ride with no real mishaps...except perhaps after I applied more chamois butter and then slipped off my saddle.....wow that stuff is slippery. Well, that is not exactly what happened! But I did not fall....and I am really exaggerating! LOL. This is Catherine . You can see the beauty of the Sandia mountains as we go north past the Sandia Pueblo and into Bernalillo.

This is a pic from the way home crossing the Rio Grande river. The cottonwoods are so lovely in their rustic colors.

Another shot of the valley as we go north along the reservation land. We ended up stopping at one of our favorite places the Flying Star. The one in Bernalillo is my favorite because they have wonderful colors on their outdoor awnings and the interior decor is very beautiful...with painted murals.

It turns out that we had a birthday girl among us and we sang and made a surprise for Priscilla who turned 37....no...not 37...maybe it was 37 in reverse...no that is not right! ...I really do think it is 37....although she told me how old she is and I do not believe her!

Here we are outdoors in 70 degree weather singing happy birthday! We are spoiled this week in New Mexico! I hope the weather holds! Let us hope!

A mural that I like at the Flying Star in Bernalillo! We had a great day on our

bikes today and could enjoy the beauty that is New Mexico. We really are very spoiled living here. We can practically ride year round! I know I recently complained about the cold, but on days like this, I tend to forget about my complaints!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Well, yesterday, I was gifted with a GPS!.. Those of you that know me, know that this is a much needed piece of equipment as I just mastered left and right when I had moved from NY...only to discover that in NM there is north, south , east and west! LOL. IN NY we just went up and down...or right and left...we did not have to maneuver with 4 directions! I can hear you laughing! Well. I got my GPS home and began to open the boxes and packaging. That took me almost 2 hours...yes, I did say 2 hours. Have you ever tried to open one of those theft resistant plastic packages? This is what is left of the packaging for the friction mount for the GPS. I contemplated calling the bomb squad to blow it open...but I kept telling myself to be a big girl and struggle through it...and that this packaging would not get the best of me! I contemplated using my teeth, but my mother told me never to use my teeth as a tool! I tried knives,...both serrated and regular, a screw driver, scissors, a butter knife to try to pry it open and finally after several attempts with a serrated mega shear....I was able to almost sheer it open,...and glory be, I did not cut myself in the process! Then I assembled all the parts and tried to make sense of them. I looked in the teeny tiny direction manual and searched for the chart that labels all the parts...to no avail. I looked at garmin.com on the Internet to find the full manual and had to download a 76 page manual all the while telling myself....why can't you be green? Printing out all this paper.? I knew if I had this much trouble in such a short amount of time, I had better print out the manual for future use. Well, there still was not a chart labeling all the equipment pieces...and there were NO numbers on any of the 76 pages I printed out that would tell me which was page 60 when looking up a topic. So, of course, I had to count and number each page and check that my numbering was correct. Do you feel like this is taking me all evening? I have not even gotten to the MOST fun part yet.

Here is the most fun part....so far! It is harmless looking enough isn't it? Well, that little ball's head is supposed to go in the little round hole in the pic below. I said supposed......

Try as I might. that ball would not go into that hole. The directions told me to snap it in.

Sorry about the fuzzy pic....perhaps it is just a reflection of how foggy my brain felt last night......the pic shows like a rocking or a levering of the ball into the mount. This did not work. To me, it seemed the ball was too big for the hole! I looked in the product manual to see if the right mount was purchased....not wanting to contemplate trying to open another one of those tamper resistent packages ...but I found out it was the correct product! Well, I twisted and I leveraged and I turned it this way and that...and I took cleansing yogic breaths and tried to remain calm. Finally, after about another hour of maneuvering...there was no more miss nice guy! I discovered that the directions should have read...........

"Shove the ball into the damn hole!

Needless to say, I have not had a chance to read the voluminous directions as to how to configure the GPS! Perhaps I have already gone through the hard part..... yeah right!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Last night, Andy Pettitte struggled to pitch in the 3rd game of the World Series in Philadelphia. To quote the Philadelphia Inquirer, "The 37-year- old Pettitte, who extended his major league record to 17 postseason wins in the Yankees 8-5 win last night at Citizens Bank Park, was in deep early trouble, laboring to locate his assortment of pitches."

When Pettitte was interviewed after the game, he said this:

"It's a grind when you're out there by yourself. There's not a whole lot of anything that can help you, except trying to just keep battling."

This is my motto when hill climbing...it is how I feel....but I think this is a great life lesson too for when the times get hard on the many fronts of our lives...and they do......

Saturday, October 31, 2009

I have noticed that when it gets colder, I want to eat differently! Out go the salads and in come the cooked veggies and then I want to add in some soups and things that will warm me. I have kept it a secret up 'till now........but I get cold if the temperature goes below 70 degrees! AND it is certainly below 70 degrees in Albuquerque. As I write this, it is 27 degrees! Last week I watched Good Morning America and saw an interview with the Thai chef Su-Mei-Yu who wrote the book "Elements of Life." I have always liked Asian food and watched the interview with interest. She spoke about eating different foods when it rains and different foods when it is hot or cold outside. This made perfect sense to me as I seem to do this automatically. She also spoke about finding out your natural element as far as earth, water, wind or fire. For me, I am 3/4 earth and one part fire! So, for me, I have been adding in some heavier and warmer foods like pumpkin muffins, squash, green chile stew and homemade soups with fragrant herbs on top.

Last night, before I went to bed, I put the crock pot on and made some pinto beans which are a staple of eating in New Mexico. Check here for a good recipe:http://www.myhomecooking.net/ Go to Mexican food recipes.

All throughout the night, I could smell the beans cooking with that little bit of salt pork and when I woke up, I had the most delicious beans imaginable. I wish I could transport the delicious meaty smell to you through the computer! To me, beans are very nurturing.

What I also learned from the book is that for me, in the winter, I need to eat more bananas, dates, applesauce, walnuts, kiwi, cranberry, beans, corn and swiss chard...to name a few. I have identified a few good recipes in the book and will start to try them.

Here is one of my favorite recipes for the colder weather. This is a great snack for when you get home from a long cold day of cycling or being outdoors.

Harvest Apples

3 apples of your choice cored in a cone shape with the larger part on the top of the apple. Do not core through bottom and make a hole.

3 TBS peanut butter

2 large boxes of raisins (3 oz)

2TBS sunflower seeds

Mix all ingredients and stuff 1/3 of the mixture into each apple. Place apples in an ovenproof dish and bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until apples are soft, but not mushy. I find if I put the apples in a loaf pan, they do not roll around while cooking!

324 calories, 7g protein, 55 g carbs, 11g fat, 79g sodium and 8g fiber. If this is too much food for your snack, cut the apple in half! To reheat, just zap for a few seconds in the microwave!How does all this fit in with training , being healthy and weight loss? Very easily. Eating in moderation is the key.Cece

Friday, October 30, 2009

As I was driving to work this morning, I was crossing the Montano Bridge and right at the river crossing, I saw a clothesline full of bras! The line of bras was to remind us that YES it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!There must have been about 100 bras on this clothesline and I heard that there was a traffic accident during rush hour from someone looking at the bras and not at the road. Do not try this at home!

I heard a piece on the news this am that created quite an uproar. A TV channel in Washington DC put a story on the evening news showing an actual breast self-exam so women could know how to do their self check ups. Evidently there were some who thought it was sexual! The woman commentator said it very well when she said, "if you want to look at breasts that are sexual there are many other venues available to do that. This is not one of them!"

And so, once again I will say...If you are reading this and have not gotten your exam....turn off the computer...pick up the phone...and schedule your mammo. The life you are saving could be your own! Cancer Sucks!

Being indoors on the trainer doesn't cut it for my shoulder injury. Meaning that even though the trainer is great cardio and keeps the legs rockin' and rollin' it does nothing for my shoulder strength. When on the trainer, I do not really use my arms or shoulders....other than to hold on! When riding the road, I need to balance myself on the bike, steer, navigate and deal with the changes in the road. I found this out last weekend, like a grand surprise, when my shoulder had to struggle to keep up with the rest of me while at the Day of the Tread! I struggled to hold myself on the bike. Plus the wind compounded my troubles! It took a lot of energy just to stay on the bike!

So, what does that mean for me? Even though it is now winter in Albuquerque and the mountains look like beautiful snow covered tin foil... and it is freezing cold....that I must get outdoors on my bike. So, now I need to plan how that will happen.

I can do a split shift...and ride early in the afternoons and then go back to work later in the day. OR. I can ride after work but that will be a challenge as it gets dark real early...although I now have a light! LOL! But we've already been THERE.....so that leaves mornings and weekends. In the mornings, it is literally freezing...AND I hate the cold...and have to go to work....so that leaves weekends.

We are always blessed with a head wind ...no matter if we think we will get a tailwind on our return ride. We always get a head wind! This is why the balloons go in a box...they go across the valley and then go back up and across the valley...head winds both directions! URGH! With my shoulder, I cannot fight the wind to stay on the bike...it is very hard.

So, what are my options? I can suck it up and "man up" and get out in the cold and wind (which I did last year complaining all the way) or I can ride later outdoors on the weekends when it is a bit warmer perhaps 50 degrees. Or I can do a split shift at work and ride in the very early afternoon when the temps are more moderate. That sounds better to me.

I really need to develop a better back bone on this cold and wind issue and I am reminded of a very functional picture that the Fat Cyclist's (http://www.fatcyclist.com/) daughter drew for him. Oct6th blog entry) it was...a vehicle that protected him from the snow and the elements....perhaps I can fantasize about this vehicle , which I hope Fatty will patent...and I can channel the warmth and protection that the vehicle will afford me.

Other than that...I just have to get my butt out in the cold and wind and suck it up!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The Day of the Tread was a fantastic event! There were over 900 registered riders who rode various ride lengths from 12-100 miles! There was music and dancing at every turn and wonderful rest stops with sopapillas and bloody finger cookies and lots of laughs and meet ups with old friends! When I first arrived , I saw a parking lot full of friends from Team in Training and got lots of hugs .

Thanks to Catherine for riding with me! It was nice to get to know you a bit more.I like to ride and get to know someone. It is great fun!This is one of my old friends...laid back and enjoying his recline on the back of a tandem. I heard this guy kicked butt going up Tramway hill.....you know this is my absolute fav-or-ite hill! LOL How can he smile going up that hill? How can my friend Stephanie smile climbing up that hill...oh well, maybe one day I will learn how.

WomenRiding Well did this as a club ride. We got together on several days and painted our jerseys as a deck of cards! We had lots of fun doing this together!Here we all are pre-ride. I am not sure if you can see that we are all the Queen of Hearts and we are wearing a crown with a heart in it on our helmets. Here are the backs of our shirts that we painted. Each woman's shirt was unique and painted according to her own style!

Here is me with my tiara! Barbara helped me hitch it up and helped me to get it to stay upright on my helmet. Thanks Barb!

And this is my friend Stephanie who is just a man magnet when she is wearing ears! I just think men like a women in ears! LOL....she went as a white tiger.

And here is the man who just about stole the show during the ride. Can you see that he has adapted his bike to hold an IV drip bag and a urine bag? Not only that but....or shall I say BUTT.....he was flashing us all throughout the ride.....and afterwards we made him show us how he did it. He got a fake butt and pantyhose.......and the rest shall be left to the imagination! Nice Legs!See slide show below for more pics and costumes.

Monday, October 19, 2009

This is Diane Nelson reporting from the front lines of Northern New Mexico as Cece was sidelined with asthma and had to miss the ride! As you can tell from the pic, it was a beautiful day! I'm not quite sure how I got the sky to watercolor itself in when I copied the pic to Cece...but I like it! LOL We all met at Paseo and I-25 on this glorious fall morning and caravaned the 70 or so miles to the Cities of Gold Casino at Pojauque NM for the start of our 40 or so mile bike trip in the hills of northern Santa Fe. We had a great, albeit inadvertent 6 mile warm -up ride by taking a wrong turn out of the casino...luckily for us, the road dead ended...or we might never have known to turn around and we might STILL be wandering the hills north of Santa Fe! We were a happy group despite this precarious detour!

Finally, we got ourselves on the right track and started along the High Road to Taos..passing through Nambe, enjoying fall foliage, rock formations and mountain vistas along the way and then turning west to Chimayo....meeting some rollers into and out of Chimayo, and then a wonderful long downhill to Espanola. We passed through "the scenic metropolis" of Espanola and then into Los Alamos Highway past the Santa Clara Pueblo and then into a fierce headwind that kept this little group that I was in down to speeds under 10 mph! This part of the ride was reminiscent of the TNT training rides that Cece and I endured from the endless spring winds (Spring? 32 degrees with 20 mph winds? you call that spring Diane? You are an optimist! LOL ...cece here....with her 2 cents...maybe 4!).....only these winds were much warmer and easier to endure! We rode past San Ildefonso Pueblo and then onto State Road 502 again and then the homestretch back to the casino.

After a quick change of clothes, the group met up at Gabriel's New Mexico Restaurant near the Sante Fe Opera for a late lunch, including fresh guacamole made table side that was the best I have EVER tasted! After a wonderful meal, we headed back on 1-25 to return to Albuquerque. To me, there is nothing better than spending a beautiful day on a bicycle! It was truly a fall frolic , with lots of beautiful scenery, fellowship and fun!

Having been unable to go on the Fall Frolic ride into Northern NM on Saturday due to illness, I have asked my friend Diane to be a guest blogger for us and tell us about the ride! I did hear that they had a few rollers and took a 5 mile detour by mistake...but everyone was laughing and giggling about it and it seemed like everyone had a blast! More info coming. Women Riding Well has decided to go to the Day of the Tread as a deck of cards! (See side link to the Day of the Tread! ) The women would be the Queen of Hearts...the men in our lives the King of Hearts...and our coach...the Joker! We had a series of painting sessions at Margie's beautiful home and had a wonderful time.! Patti decided this was "cross training"for the ride...doing something different that was perhaps a bit out of our comfort zones, but that would make you stronger and more fluent at what you loved doing! Or at least.... we will be beautiful!

It was a bright and sunny day, with lots of talk and fun and food and discussion about what colors to use and exactly how we would paint our jerseys for the ride! Fun was had by all!

Favorite Web Sites

Inspirational Quotes

"Do ....or ....Do Not........ There is no Try"

Email Cece at: thetwowhos@gmail.com

"Above all else, do NOT quit! The universe always bows to persistence. The empowering approach is to see your physical challenges as assets, because overcoming obstacles forces you to develop discipline, determination and character. These traits will carry over to other areas of your life and make you a stronger person."

Tom Venuto, "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle."

"Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not." Thomas Huxley